Dana Corey and Team Launch Prysm

Seems like a while since a new display technology came along, doesn’t it? Well, it’s been the best-kept secret for months, and Dana Corey and Christine Morris at Prysm (both formerly of Barco) have been giving me (embargoed) updates. But it’s now official, Dana and team (Dana Corey, VP Sales; Christine Morris, Dir. Global Marketing; Julian Carey, Dir. Product Marketing) have just this week launched the new company (www.prysm.com), and with that launch, a new display technology.

In their words:

“Prysm is the leading provider of ecovative Laser Phosphor Displays (LPDs) for large format applications. LPD's innovative eco-friendly design offers the lowest power consumption and environmental impact with free form flexibility, long-lasting performance and brilliant picture quality.”

It is a revolutionary large format display technology… does it have the potential to replace display screens on the market today, including LED, LCD, Plasma, DLP, etc. ? It is a new-gen display LPD (laser phosphor display) technology that others in the industry (who did not know about the launch) told me was years away from a go-to-market potential. But go to market they are. (Prysm was founded by Amit Jain and Roger Hajjar in 2005 under the name Spudnik, and that name has now been changed to Prysm.) And if Dana is putting his name on it, I’d bet it’s ready to make a splash in the industry.

Dana Corey and team plan to sneak-preview the product at ISE in Amsterdam (Feb. 2-4); to have a product launch (with model specs and pricing) in March; and to fully launch the product in June.

I’ll let Dana speak for the new product, but I can say that its two strong points, that will make it a formidable new competitor, are:

- high resolution (than LED)

- major TCO (total cost of ownership) savings, in operation…. i.e. it uses a lot less power to run than LED (of LCD for that matter)

LPD uses lasers to excite phosphors which in turn create brilliant high resolution pictures. As the lasers scan across the surface the phosphors emit in the red, green and blue colors with very rapid response. The lasers then modulate by turning on and off for each pixel to create an image. This method results in substantial power efficiency and extended lifetime. This benefit contrasts with conventional displays that must filter or modulate a backlight that remains on constantly.

The lasers used are solid state laser diodes (LD) that resemble those used in high density optical storage media devices. All LPD display products are Class I laser safe and so are safe in all conditions of normal use. Like other products that use lasers like DVD players, the enclosure contains interlocks to prevent operation of the system if the enclosure is broken or opened.

Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) technology has unsurpassed image quality and lowest power consumption of all large format displays in its class

San Jose, Calif. – January 12, 2010 – Prysm, Inc., today announced the public launch of its groundbreaking technology, Laser Phosphor Display (LPD). LPD is a new category of large format displays, with the lowest power consumption and environmental impact along with freeform flexibility, long-lasting performance and brilliant picture quality.

LPD images are created by using a laser engine to excite a phosphor screen and are the first display technologies to achieve the following benefits:

Ecovative

LPD consumes up to 75 percent less power than other display technologies. Prysm’s LPDs are made with low impact manufacturing processes and non-toxic materials. This translates into the lowest cost of ownership and carbon footprint of any large format display.

Long Lasting

LPD utilizes long-life semiconductor lasers and a self-calibrating architecture to deliver uniform image quality for years of trouble free use.

LPD delivers high brightness, high resolution, high contrast and natural color content with zero motion blur.

“Prysm's technology addresses the key segment of large-area displays with the promise of low power operation and scalability,” said Paul Semenza, Senior Vice-President at DisplaySearch, the leading display market research firm. “This type of technology could open up new markets in consumer and professional applications.”

Founded by Amit Jain and Roger Hajjar in 2005 under the name Spudnik, Prysm’s patented LPD technology is supported by over 100 employees and leading manufacturing and component supply partners worldwide.

“We have spent the last 4 years developing a truly disruptive technology with a team of the best technologists in the industry,” said Amit Jain, CEO of Prysm, Inc. “LPD is generating excitement from prospective customers around the world. Although we knew that image quality would appeal to customers everywhere, we have also found that the LPD energy efficiency to be very important in every geographic market. Prysm provides regulators a proof point that one can make energy efficient displays without compromising quality or cost.”